Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

( This Saturday across the world will mark the International Day of People with Disability, an event that celebrates progress and breaking down barriers for people with disability. I rise tonight to speak about this very important day endorsed by the United Nations and held every year on 3 December and also to outline some important local initiatives and some personal stories from my electorate of Robertson on the New South Wales Central Coast.

The Australian government has been supporting the International Day of People with Disability since 1996 and, with an estimated four million Australians with disability, it is more relevant than ever. The themes for this year are focused on the United Nations sustainable development goals and how these can be applied to individuals, businesses, and communities. It is also a chance to celebrate what people with disability can achieve when they have opportunities to reach their full potential. Ultimately, it is about starting a conversation, raising awareness and highlighting disability champions who work incredibly hard to improve the lives of others.

Last year more than 1,000 International Day of People with Disability events were held across Australia, including many in my electorate. We will see this happening across the Central Coast this year as well, including tomorrow at the Woy Woy Public School, where they are holding a disability day. They will begin the day with a morning assembly where students from some of the disability classes will perform concert items. Guest speakers from Wheelchair Sports New South Wales will then give a presentation before all the students in the school rotate around to watch and take part in games of wheelchair basketball.

Next week there will also be a fantastic talent showcase happening, where all funds raised will go towards improving services for young people with a disability on the Central Coast. I would encourage anyone who wants to dance, sing or perform in this extravaganza to get in touch with Job Centre Australia and get ready to jump on stage to perform for special guest judges, friends and family. Job Centre Australia is running the event alongside Regional Youth Support Services, with prizes to be awarded on the day for the best singer, the best dancer, the best media talent act and the best dressed. It will be taking place on Monday, 5 December from 10 am to 2 pm at the Youth Arts Warehouse on Donnison Street in Gosford, and entry is by gold coin donation.

Another incredible and outstanding organisation that I would really like to commend in this House tonight is the Options Theatre Company, based at West Gosford. Part of Options Disability Support Services, this group supports artists with disabilities, making plays and shows, films, dance pieces, radio programs and music. I have never, ever forgotten my first experience with Options—their incredibly funny film called Killing Hope. The theme of that was that you cannot kill hope, no matter how hard you try, and it was extraordinary. I would like to take this opportunity to commend Options CEO Denise Stingmore, artistic director Stuart Smith, engagement director Mandy Coolen, and their team members Andrew Sampford and Simon Boal. Based in an industry-standard dance studio and an open plan theatre space, the theatre company supports emerging artists with physical and intellectual disabilities, as well as participants with chronic physical and mental health issues.

As I touched on earlier, it is estimated that one in five Australians will experience some form of disability. Yet, despite this, Options have told me that only one professional practising artist in 10 is a person with disability. People with disability working in the arts are also more likely to be employed part time, to be engaged in unpaid or volunteer work or to have long periods searching for a job. With this in mind I recently invited the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services, the member for Ryan, to my electorate. Part of our day was to meet these young people at Options, to see an exclusive sneak peek of their theatrical work that they are preparing for a run of shows next year, performing Grease. We also wanted to let them know about a vital new government investment kicking off just around the corner from their studios.

The Individual Placement and Support trial, known as IPS, is a new initiative to better support young people with mental illness to find a job. The Turnbull government has committed more than $13.6 million for a three-year national trial of the IPS model as part of its youth employment strategy that is aimed at tackling high youth unemployment. Headspace in Gosford was one of the first to jump on board, and we held a launch—complete with a ceremonial cutting of the cake in Kibble Park at Gosford—with plenty of local media and community interest. We even had the incredible and talented crew from Musicians Making a Difference, who strummed away and performed from their portable stage—I have spoken about this incredible organisation before; it is a local Gosford organisation that does outstanding work in our community for young people, really striving to help them to achieve their potential through music.

The IPS trial, led locally by headspace Gosford manager Helen Isenhour and her team, will target vulnerable young people with mental illness up to the age of 25 who are at risk of long-term welfare dependency and disengaging from school and work. Gosford is one of 14 headspace sites throughout the country that will provide career development advice and vocational and employment assistance to jobseekers who need it most, working closely with clinical support and other non-vocational assistance. It is now underway and will run until 2019, with the aim of supporting up to 2,000 young people every year to help them reach their goals at one of the most vulnerable stages of their life.

Some of the data that backs up the IPS model is that around 70 per cent of mental health disorders develop by the age of 25. So it is absolutely vital that we equip these young people for the future and for their future. Thankfully, recent trials have found that people with mental illness are three times more likely to secure a job when supported by the IPS approach. So I commend headspace for leading the charge in this area, because if this means young people on the Central Coast battling mental illness are three times more likely to find and keep a job, they are making a significant impact on our region's future.

During the minister's visit we also hosted a round table for local mothers and carers of children with a disability. It was quite simply an extraordinary hour or so when we heard from deep within the hearts of these mothers, local people who need our support. There were stirring stories about how these beautiful, incredibly strong women cared for their children in what often felt like hard and dark times. From holding a job to the needs around respite care, we had plenty of issues to tackle. The conversations were honest and tough, but I have to say that there were incredible moments of joy as they shared some of the highlights of their experiences as well. Thank you to everyone who came and shared their story, including Lorraine Wilson, Sonya Peat, Elisa James, Joan Bailey, Sarah Harvey, Mary Kelly, Leila Doull, Liz Collins, Pamela Ohlrich and Elizabeth Cleasby. We also received letters from other passionate local women who could not make it, including Karen Rapley. My commitment to every one of these women was that we would follow up for each of them—and I have been so encouraged by the support and hard work of Minister Prentice and her office, who have already begun following through on these cases. I thank the minister very much. We are working towards holding a carers round table in our electorate in the coming weeks, where it is hoped we can continue this vital conversation.

Of course, much of this surrounds the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which I am pleased to say started in June this year, just as we committed to. Nearly 2,000 new jobs will be created across the Central Coast as the NDIS is fully rolled out. This includes a National Disability Insurance Agency office that has been established in Gosford, which we announced during the recent election campaign with the Minister for Social Services, the member for Pearce. This office alone will generate more than 40 new jobs for our electorate and provide a close, convenient point of contact in the city of Gosford regarding this incredibly important scheme.

Overall, $180 million will be invested in disability services across the Central Coast when the NDIS is rolled out. The primary beneficiaries, of course, will be the thousands of people in our region who are living with disability. Across education, employment, social participation, living arrangements, health and wellbeing more than 8,000 future participants across the Central Coast, including their families and carers, will be supported by the local NDIA office in Gosford. And this translates to delivering a better life and a better lifestyle for almost 2,900 participants in my electorate.

Such a scheme will, as we touched on in the carers round table, represent a significant change from the way disability services have traditionally been delivered. All participants and providers are still adjusting to some of the practical challenges that can cause some issues, including the need for preparation ahead of the NDIS workshops that are taking place. But the fact remains that the NDIS is one of the largest reforms in Australia's history. It gives people with disability the support they need to overcome challenges—and the transition is ongoing. So I encourage people across the Central Coast with a disability to visit the NDIS website to check their eligibility and to start thinking about how the scheme can help them achieve their goals.

Local businesses and service providers should also reach out to see how they can also take advantage of local opportunities. We have already seen great examples of businesses taking advantage of the Australian Disability Enterprise support from the government, including the incredible Fairhaven Services at Point Clare, Terama Industries at Gosford and Lasercraft Australia at West Gosford. With International Day of People with Disability fast approaching, I cannot think of a better time for our community to work together to raise awareness and promote this important issue. I commend these local initiatives and the work of the Turnbull government in promoting a brighter and more prosperous future for people with disability, and I commit to continuing to work to represent the families and businesses in my electorate in this area.

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